Traction-increasing device for street-cars.



No. 821,352. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. H. H. POX. TRACTION INCREASINGDEVICE FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEE) 5.1905.

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HARRY H. FOX, ()F DUQUESNE JUNCTION, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACTION-INCREASING DEVICE FOR STREET "CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented May 22,1906.

Application filed December 5, 1905- Serial No. 290,4:45-

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY I-I. FoX, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Duquesne Junction, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Traction-Increasing Devices for Street- Cars, of which the followingis a speoificati on,

reference being had therein to the acco1npanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements intraction-increasing devices for street-cars, and more particularly to anelectrically-operated traction-increasing device.

The primary object of this invention is to employ the source ofelectrical energy employed for operating the car as atraction-increasing medium, and in accomplishing this result I entirelydispense with wheel-brakes, track friction-brakes, and brakes heretoforeused for retarding and eventually stopping the car, as my improvementwill serve to bring the car to a stop without the aid of brakingdevices. To this end I employ electromagnets, which are carried belowthe bottom of the car and have their cores arranged in close proximityto the rails over which the car travels. Upon energizing theelectroinagnets by passing an electric current Hthrough the same thecores of said magnets are strongly magnetized, and the attractionestablished between the magnetized cores and the rails over which thecar travels serves to retard the movement of the car and eventually stopthe same. I employ a conventional form of electromagnets which aresuitably housed beneath the car and employ the ordinary controllers of acar for governing the operation of the electromagnets.

The detail construction of my invention will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed, and, referring to the drawings accompanying thisapplication, like numerals of reference designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary sideelevation of a car equipped with my improvement. Fig. 2 is an end viewof the same, and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit employedin connection with the electromagnets.

In the accompanying drawings the refer ence-numeral 1 designates thebody of the car, 2 2 the platforms thereof, which carry controller 3,and {1 the running-gear of the car.

My invention resides in placing two powerful electromagnets 5 5 at eachend of the car, said electromagnets being of a conven tional form havingcores 6 6, which are controlled by an electric current passing throughwindings of insulated wire which surround said cores. The cores arepreferably made of soft iron, which only remains magnetized while acurrent is flowing through the wire windings of the magnets.

The electromagnets at each end of the car are identical in construction.Therefore I deem it only necessary to describe the construction of oneset of magnets. The mag nets are supported in a strap or yoke 7,connected to the body of the car, as at 8 8. The magnets are locatedabove the rails 9 9, upon which the car travels, and the strap or yokewhich supports said magnets may be suitably braced, as at 10 10.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings I have illustrated the wiring of said magnets,where it will be observed that the magnets are connected. together by awire 11, While a wire 12 leads from one of said magnets to the source ofelectrical energy 14, and a wire 15 from the other of said magnets leadsto a switch 16. Another wire 17 leads from the source of electricalenergy 14 to the switch 16, where alever or key 18 controls themagnetization of the electromagnets6 6.

When the lever or key 18, which is carried by the controller 3, orlocated adjacent thereto, is manipulated to energize the magnets 5 5, acurrent of electricity passes through said magnets which magnetizes thecores 6 6 and causes an attraction to be established between the railsof the track and said cores. The energizing of the electromagnets willcause the rails to be strongly attracted by the magnets, and theattractive force thus produced will tend to draw the cars down sostrongly as to retard their movement and eventually result in thestopping of the cars.

In order that my improved traction-increasing device will properlyoperate, it is necessary that the key or lever 18 be manipulated toestablish circuit through the electromagnets, and thereby establish amutual attraction between said. magnets and the rails up on which thecar travels.

.It is obvious that various means, such as a rheostat, may be employedfor governing the amount of electrical energy passing into theelectromagnets.

Such changes in the construction and opbase, one magnet of each pairbeing over one rail and the other magnet of the same pair being over theother rail, the said magnets being included in the saidoperating-circuit.

2. The combination With a car and the operating electric circuitthereof, of a yoke attached to the bottom of the car at each endthereof, and extending laterally beyond the Wheels, a pair ofelectromagnets mounted in each yoke with one magnet over one rail andthe other magnet over the opposite rail, said magnets being in circuitWith the operatingcircuit of the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

HARRY H. FOX.

WVitnesses H. O. EVERT, E. E. POTTER.

